Automatic signal.



No. 700,85I. Paten ted May 27, I902.

R. L. STORM.

AUTOMATIC SIGNAL.

(Application filed July 25, 1901.)

3 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

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No. 700,851. Patented May 27, 1902.

'R. L.- STORM.

AUTOMATIC SIGNAL.

(Application filed .m 25, 1901. J (N M-J BL) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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WITNESSES Q 1m: Moms warms co PHorauTfio WASHINGYON o c N0. 700,85l-. Patented May 27, I902.

R. L. STORM.

AUTOMATIC SIGNAL.

(Application filed July 25, 1901.! (No Model.) 3 Sheets-3heet 3.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RALPH L. STORM, or- WATERLOO, 1owA.

AUTOMATIC SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 700,851, dated May 27, 1902.

Application filed July 25, 1901. Serial No. 69,671. (No model.)

T at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH L. STORM, a citizen of the United States of An1erica,and a resident of Waterloo, Blackhawk county, Iowa, have invented certain newv and useful Improvements in Automatic Signals for Electric Railways, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in automatic signals for electric railways; and the object of my improvement is to provide a register capable of indicating to a motorneer the number of cars which are then moving upon the track-section into which his car is entering and which register is operated through the action of the automatic signalsetting device. I attain this object by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a rear elevation of the registering mechanism; Fig. 2, a vertical section of the same on the line c 00 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a front perspective View of the register, the figures indicated in dotted lines showing their position on the face and sides of the movable dial. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the setting and releasing device. Fig. 5 is aplan of the same. Fig. 6 is a detail plan view showing the method of making the electrical connections from the gravity drop-blocks. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the method of wiring the different parts of the apparatus. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the setting ratchet-wl1eel,and

Fig. 9 is a perspective View of the releasing ratchet-wheel.

Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Attached to suitable supports on the frame 50 are two electromagnets and 26, having their cores 45 and 46 movable vertically within them. The lower ends of the said cores are pivoted to the pawls 27 and 28, which respectively engage the teeth of the ratchets 29 and 30. The ratchet-wheels 29 and 30 are separately mounted and are each revoluble about the bolt 35, the latter being fixed within the frame of the apparatus. The plate-springs 36 and 37 are arranged to bear respectively against the under parts of the ratchet-wheels 29 and 30 to keep said ratchets normally in contact with the pawls 27 and 28.

The ratchetwheel 30, its hub 87, and stud 89, also the ratchet-wheel 29, its hub 88, and stud 90, are

constructed of any suitable non-conducting material. The circumferential periphery of the hub 87 is covered with a conducting-ring 32, having a projecting tongue-piece 34. The circumferential peripheryof the hub 88 is partially surrounded by a conducting-ring 31, a piece being cut out to expose the non-conducting surface of the hub 88. A connecting-plate 91 is extended inwardly from the conducting-ring 31 along the inner face of the hub 88 and is perforated, so as to admit of the-passage through it of the bolt and is in contact with said bolt. When in posi (ion and ready for operation,the inner faces of the hubs 87 and 88 are set parallel to each other, but not touching. The studs 89 and 90 are then in contact, keeping the ratchets locked in the same line and the projecting tongue over the cut-out place in the ring 31. A collar on the bolt 35 serves to keep the hubs apart. electrical communication between the conducting-rings 31 and 32, as the projecting tongue 34 then' lies directly over the break in the ring 31 and opposite to the non-conducting material of the hub 88. Communication between the two is established when the setting-pawl 28 pushes the setting-ratchet 30 over one notch and brings the projecting tongue 34 into contact with the conducting.

WVhen not in operation, there is no rent passing through the electromagnets 25 41 and 42 are terminal plates insulated from each other and supported by and attached to a projection 44 on the frame 50. The plate 41 bears against the conducting-plate 40 when the drop 49 is vertically raised, and the plate 42 bears against the conducting-plate 39 when the drop 48 is vertically raised. An electrical current is carried to the electromagnet from the terminal plate 41 by means of the wire 85. An electrical current is carried to the electromagnet 26 from the terminal plate 42 by means of the wire 84. A conductingplate 43 is fastened to the frame 50, so as to bear against the surface of the conductingplate 39 when the drop 48 is lifted, and serves to communicate the current to the wire 73. A framework 51 is placed over the gravitydrops 48 and 49 and is perforated, so as to allow those parts of the drops which are covered with the conducting-plates 39 and 40 to pass through it and come in contact Withthe conducting-strip The latter is fastened at an intermediate point to the framework 51, its ends being movable to allow them-to come into contact with the conducting-hooks 53 and 54, respectively, when either of the drops 48 or 49 is lifted up against them. The conducting-hooks 53 and 54 convey the electrical current through the strip conductor 55 by means of the hanger from the trolley-wire 71. A swing-block 56 is suspended from the frame 50, between the lower ends of the gravitydrops 48 and 49. The block 56 is slotted from side to side, so as to ride directly over and astride of the trolley-wire 71.

1 represents a case containing the mechanism of the register. It is provided with a circular box 2, having an opening 23 on its outer face and openings, such as thatshown at 24, on its circumferential periphery. A dial-plate 21 is arranged to revolve within the boxing 2, its dial being provided with any desired nu mber of figures arranged circularly just within its edge, so that said figures may appear successively through the opening 23 when either the setting or releasing ratchets are revolved the space of one notch. The circumferential periphery of the dial has a flange provided with two rows of figures placed upon it, so arranged that when the dial is revolved the same figure in one row will appear through the opening 24 as that shown through the opening 23. The second row of figures indicated on the circumferential periphery of the dial-plate serves to reveal the same number on the opposite side of the dial, this additional opening not being shown on the drawings. A bolt 6 is fixed at one end within a standard attached to the case 1 and at the other end to the middle of the face of the circular boxing 2. A hub 22 is arranged to revolve about this bolt and carries attached to it the dial-plate 21. The inner end of the hub 22 is provided with a double ratchet-wheel 7 and 8, 8 being the setting-ratchet and 7 the releasing-ratchet and which are arranged with their teeth pointing in opposite directions for the engagement of the pawls1 9 and 10. p The electromagnets 3 and 4 are placed upon. brackets within the case 1 and areprovided with movable corearmatu res 11 and 12, respectively. The pawls 9 and 10 have elbows near their lower ends and are pivoted, respectively, to the lower ends of the cores l1 and 12. The vertical play of the movable cores 11 and 12 is restricted by the buffer-blocks 15 and 16, and said blocks by engaging said elbows also prevent either of the pawls 9 or 10 from falling forward against the ratchet when in their lowermost position, thus locking the ratchet-wheels and preventing the apparatus from working. This leaves one pawl entirely clear from its ratchetwheel at the moment when the other pawl is moving the other ratchet. The lamp 13 is placed within the circularboxing when it is desired to illuminate and render visible the numbers on the dial. This lamp is lighted by an independent circuit from the trolley-wire. Attached to the inner face of the ratchet 7 is a star-wheel 5. A spring 92, having its free end looped so as to engage the teeth on, the

wheel 5 is attached to the frame of the register and serves to prevent the ratchets from moving more than one tooth at a time.

The register Us to be placed in some posi tion where either ofits sides or its face will be visible from the track to a motorneer on an approaching car, and while it indicates accurately the number of cars on the section it also is essential for the protection of traffic in case any of the signal-lamps by reason of some defect refuse to Work.

The signal-lamps 59 and 69,Which are placed near the beginning of the track-sections, are arranged, as shown, with a single lamp above a group of lamps. The lamps are arranged to be lighted alternately through the action of the trolley-wheel of a car-81 enteringa section of track 82. The swing-block 56, which is suspended astride the trolley-wire 71, is,when impinged upon by the trolley wheel 80, pushed up against the drop 48, lifting the latter into a position where its conducting-plate 39 comes in contact with the spring-plate 52. Electrical communication is thus established with the register by means of a current passing from the trolley-wire 71 through the hanger to the strip 55, hook 53, strips 52, plates 39 and 43, wires 66 20 to the setting-electromagnet 4. The same electrical current passes from the trolley-wire 71 through the hanger, the strip 55, hook 53, strips 52, plates 39 and 42, wire 84 to the setting-electromagnet 26, which being energized the core 46 is moved vertically, carrying up with it the settingpawl 28,which moves the setting-ratchet wheel forward one notch.- This movement of the setting-ratchet carries forward the tonguepiece 34 over the neutral point to contact with the conducting-ring 31. A circuit is then established from the trolley-wire 71 through the wire 83, spring-plate 38, conducting-ring 32,

tongue-piece 34, conducting-ring 31, plate 91, bolt 35, wire 67 to the lamp 59, thence through the wires 69, 63, and 79 to the lamps 58, thence to the ground through wire 77 to the groundwire 7 8. WVhen any car on the section is about to pass off from it to another section, its trolley-wheel impinges upon the block 56, lifting the drop 49 and bringing the strip 40 into contact with the plate 52. A current from the trolley-wire 71 then passes through the hanger, strip 55, hook 54, strip 52, plates 40 and 41, wire 85 to the releasing-magnet 25. The core 45 being elevated lifts the pawl 27 and moves the releasing-ratchet wheel 29 forward the space of one notch. In case the car is the only one on the track-section, the neutral space on the hub of the releasing-ratchet is thus carried forward under the tongue-piece 34, and the current through'said tongue-piece and the lamps 59 and 58 is thus broken, extinguishing the said lamps and in dicating that the track-section isclear. If one or more cars are left on the section, inasmuch as the setting ratchet-wheel has moved forward as many notches as there are cars which have passed upon the section, the moving forward of the releasing ratchet-wheel does not cause a break in the current through the tongue-piece 34 and the lamps until the last car has passed off the section and the tongue-piece rests over theneutral space aforesaid. The releasing ratchet-wheel at the opposite end of the section is operated by the same current passing through the wires 72 61 65 to the conducting-plate on the drop 49, thence to the releasing-electromagnet and re leasing-ratchet. The same current passes through the wire 61 to the wire 94,also through the wires 65 and 19 to the registers and into the releasing-electromagnets therein, shown in Fig. 1 and 3. The pawl 9 on the movable magnet 11 ibeing elevated pushes around through the space of one notch the ratchet7 and rotates the dial-plate 21 in a reverse direction, showing a number through the opening 23, which is one number less than that theretofore appearing, and when all cars have cleared the section the absence of a number on the dial indicates it clear. The current passes from the electromagnet 3 to the ground through the wire 18. When a car enters the track-section 82 from the opposite end to that described, it causes the lighting of the lamps 60 and 57 and the operating of the registers,in a similar manner to that alreadydescribed, by means of a current set up therein and passing through the wires 67, 75, 64, and 68 and to ground for the lamps and through the wires 73 and 76 and the wires 73, 62, and 20 for the registers. The releasing of the ratchets when the car passes 0d the section, moving as last described, is obvious from the above description of the process for releasing heretofore given.

The claims below are intended to cover the construction of the register herein shown and described when used in connection with a circuit-closer such as herein described and shown or of any other construction and when used in connection with the drop-blocks, also shown and described herein,or with any other form of switch. N 0 claim is made in thisapplication to the features of the circuit-closer, as the same are covered in the claims of a companion case filed by Charles H. Storm on January 19, 1901, and bearing Serial No. 43,857, said invention being now owned by me, and no broad claims are made in this application to the features of the drop-block, as the same are covered in another companion case filed by me on July 25, 1901, and bearing Serial No. 69,670.

What I claim as constituting the present invention isr 1. The combination with a frame standing above a trolley-wire, a circuit-closer support; ed thereby, a pair of movable blocks also sup ported by the frame and the second of which in either direction is adapted to be lifted by a passing trolley-wheel, and circuits through the circuit-closer and blocks adapted to be opened and closed by the movements of the latter; of a conducting-plate supported by the frame adjacent one block, a register substantially such as herein shown anddescribed, and a circuit leading from said plate through the actuating mechanism of the register, all

as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In aregister for railway-signals, the combination with the case having a box provided with a plurality of openings, the rotary dial having a plurality of rows of figures adapted to simultaneously expose the same numerals through the different openings, a star-wheel fixed on the shaft of said dial, and a spring bearing on said wheel so as to limit the movement of said dial to an intermittent rotation; of a pair of oppositely-disposed ratchets mounted on said shaft, two electromagnets in circuit with mechanisms at the ends of a tracksection, devices at the latter points for sending currents alternately through said magnets as a car enters and leaves the track-section, and pawls connected with the magnet-armatures for turning said dial in opposite directions, all substantially as described.

3. In a register for railway-signals, the combination with a case, a rotary dial therein, and a pair of oppositely-disposed ratchet-wheels on the dial-shaft; of two electromagnets located within the case and in circuit with closers at remote points, buffer-blocks located below the bores of said magnets and upon which their cores rest when the magnets are deenergized, and pawls pivoted to said cores and having elbows adapted to rest on said blocks to hold their tips positively out of engagement with said ratchets.

4. In a register for railway-signals, the combination with a case, a rotary dial therein having a star-wheel on its shaft, a tension-spring bearing on said star-wheel, and a ratchetwheel fast on said shaft; of a pawl having an Signed at Vaterloo, Iowa, this 20th day of elbow in its body, a block on which said. elbow July, 1901. I rests when the pawl is depressed whereby I i its tip is held. out of engagement with the c I RALPH STORM 5 ratchet, and means for raising the remote end Witnesses of the pawl to lift its elbow off the block. and M. E. KENNEDY; v engage its tip with said ratchet. 1 GEO. R. TURNER. 

